


A Pocketful Of Rye

by Lothiriel84



Series: Another Cup Of Coffee [5]
Category: MarsCorp (Podcast)
Genre: Boss/Employee Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10973964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: And it's in between the cleaning and the washingThat's when looking back'sThe hardest part of all





	A Pocketful Of Rye

It wasn’t the first time the three of them had been summoned to the base manager’s office to be lectured on the dubious benefits of one of Dave’s latest schemes; it was something that happened on a regular basis, and David was rather close to coming up with an algorithm that could actually predict the periodicity of such occurrences. In all fairness, he reckoned Dave could hardly be blamed on this particular occasion; carbonated drinks were perfectly fit for human consumption, as long as it was done in moderation, which also went for most of the products the average Martian consumed daily. No one would even think of sending a complaint to Resources when most employees turned up to work with a terrible hangover; the same standard should apply to Commerce, when faced with people lamenting heartburn, belching, and tooth decay.

By his reckoning, they only had about five minutes worth of scolding still to go, then they would be free to go about their business as if nothing had happened. Only, he suddenly felt Miss Hob’s gaze fixed on him, and he immediately started worrying about what he could have possibly done wrong this time around.

“Yes, well,” she trailed off, as if momentarily losing the thread of her remarks. “I’ll have Bonnie read an announcement, see if that’s enough to dissuade those idiots from drinking a hole into their stomach. You may go, Hayley; I need to have a word with these gentlemen – separately, if you please.”

Hayley turned a quick glance of mixed curiosity and sympathy at each of them in turn, then scuttled away without a word.

“Gentlemen? You flatter me, Hob,” Dave grinned, with remarkable bravado, earning a stern glare in return.

“David, would you mind waiting outside?” she requested, pointing at the door. “I’ll be back to you in a minute.”

He nodded, slowly, found himself a quiet corner to stand in just outside the office. He honestly couldn’t think of anything either of them had done to incur in her disapproval, but the memories of his incarceration were still entirely too fresh, and he felt his insides twist unpleasantly under the influence of his worst, and most irrational, fears.

(He briefly thought of Colin, as he always did when he felt trapped, helpless. As in all those previous occasions, he couldn’t settle on viewing him univocally as his potential saviour, or the entire reason for his downfall; he just took in a deep breath, and fought back the rush of confused, hopelessly entangled emotions, hoping that someday he would manage to bury them so deeply they could never be resurrected again.)

The door to the office slid open, eventually, and he scanned Dave’s face, searching for clues as to the reasons for Miss Hob’s peculiar behaviour. Dave looked back at him, his expression carefully blank, then simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Your turn, mate. If you need a drink later, you know where to find me.”

“I’d be happy to,” he smiled, like he always did when he had no idea how to deal with the situation he was presented – which, to be fair, happened most of the time. Miss Hob was waiting with her arms crossed, but he fancied he could detect a faintly amused smirk tilting the corner of her mouth.

“All right, so this is none of my business,” she started, leaning back against her desk. “And believe me when I say I am only too grateful for that. There’s just one thing I need to know, so that we all know where we’re standing, so to speak.”

David blinked, merely waited for her to continue. She didn’t seem to be any more cross that she was on an average day, which he was prepared to take as a positive sign.

“I don’t care what you and Dave do, so long as it doesn’t endanger the safety of the entire base. I trust you know how consent works by now, and that you wouldn’t let any more people take advantage on you.”

Her gaze stopped once more over the collar of his old lab coat, or more specifically, the strip of bare skin between the fabric and his beard. Oh. He had completely forgotten about that, to be honest, and he hadn’t thought anyone would notice in the first place.

“Haha, no – it’s nothing like that, I can assure you. We’re only – well, you know – it’s fine. We’re fine.”

“How very reassuring,” she quipped, but she sounded at least partially relieved. He couldn’t help but find her concern quite touching, for some reason.

“You may go now,” she dismissed him, her mind already focussing on other, more pressing matters. He didn’t envy her position in the slightest, even if he admired her leadership skills and her no-nonsense attitude. She was a fascinating woman, and all the more out of his league because of that.

Well, he could definitely use that drink Dave had mentioned earlier, be it literal, or metaphorical, or both of those things at once. (He had never been any good at getting innuendos, and he probably never would. Not that it mattered, really, for he reckoned his chances at dating would still be close to zero either way.)

Dave looked mildly surprised that he’d actually decided to show up – somewhat pleased, even.

“Beer?” he asked, two bottles in hand, and gestured for him to make himself at home.


End file.
